Edelweiss

In downtown Tuscaloosa, there is a cute little German bakery. And, I still find tons of Tuscaloosa residents who don't know about it. Edelweiss has been open for several years in their location in Temerson Square. And, recently I have been stopping in more and more for coffee and snacks. They will soon show up in the blog post about wifi around town that I hope to post soon.

Recently, I joined friends for lunch on a Friday. We all had the special of the day, pork chop schnitzel. Each day they have a special and then they also have soup, sandwich, and bratwurst options too. The pork chop schnitzel was really delicious. We each received two pork chops and a German potato salad with a rye bread. It was plenty to bring home for a second meal. In case you haven't had schnitzel before, it is pretty much a fried pork chop. The potato salad was very different. It looked like it should be served hot, like a potato casserole. But, it was more like room temperature and not a mayonnaise based potato salad like we are all so familiar with having. Sorry, I don't really have any great ways of explaining the taste. Here is a picture of all the yumminess.

My friend had recently had one of the other daily specials and thought that it was better. So, I am anxious to get back in and try some more things! I know I love the pretzel rolls they have. And, they have been doing pretzel rolls since before pretzel rolls were popular (see Wendy's, Ruby Tuesdays, and Sonic).

I also love a lot of the pastries, muffins, and breakfast goodies. The crumb cake has always been a favorite.  And, I had a ham and cheese croissant for breakfast a few months ago that was great. I should have taken a picture. Here is a picture of my latte and white chocolate raspberry scone from a recent breakfast/work visit.

 And, earlier in the summer I had a latte with an amazing cherry and cream cheese Danish. Yum!

So, if you haven't visited Edleweiss I would suggest you do. They are only open during the day, so no dinner dates here. But, they have a front patio area, so as the weather gets cooler, it will be a great spot for coffee, a sweet treat, or a unique lunch. it is so very cool that we have a little touch of Germany right here in Tuscaloosa. 

Chuck's Fish

Chuck's is probably one of the most popular restaurants in Tuscaloosa.  It usually doesn't matter if its a weeknight, weekend, summer break, or football season, the crowd is happening at Chuck's. This is a sister restaurant to Harbor Docks in Destin and the also popular Five in Downtown Tuscaloosa. Chuck's focuses on seafood and had a wonderful sushi menu. Actually, sushi is almost always what I get when I go. Last year I did a post on the YPT sushi making class at Chuck's, but I haven done a post on the restaurant itself.

The location is perfect. The building is a multi level open feel downtown on Greensboro. It does get a little loud because it is so open, but last night didn't seem as bad. It's a great place for a date night, group dinner, or girls night, which is what Mollie and I had last night. Mollie was visiting from Memphis and was dying to have Chuck's sushi and says no where in Memphis has sushi this good. 

We started with the tuna dip. I forgot to take a picture but there is a good portion of dip served with toast pieces. Sometimes tuna dip can be too smoky for me, but this had a great flavor and like I said, the portion was good for the price. 

I ordered the Amazon roll and the Dharma roll. The Amazon was a tuna roll with avocado and crab salad on top. It is very similar to the Backdown Roll that I had gotten before only with tuna inside instead of on top. Both are delicious. These are filling rolls. The crab salad takes the roll to the next level. 

The Dharma roll has crab, shrimp, and conch. It is a simpler roll, the one in the picture without everything on top, but the favors are good. This roll is fully cooked so it can be a safe bet for the person who isn't a big sushi person. 

Mollie ordered the Backdown Roll and a special roll that isn't on the menu, the Screaming O. I already gave a little explanation of the Backdown, but it's got shrimp inside with tuna and crab salad on top. And, it's so tasty! I think it's my favorite on the menu. 

The Screaming O is a baked roll. I can't remember what is in the roll but it has smoked salmon on top with a really tasty sauce on it. 

The sushi at Chuck's is my favorite in town. On Tuesday nights they do $2 off sushi rolls for everyone and half price drinks for ladies. Things may get backed up and it may take a while to get your food, but that's a great deal! The prices at Chuck's aren't cheap but the atmosphere and food are worth it. 

Epiphany and a weeknight out

If you are looking for a nice meal or even a great weeknight deal, look no farther than Epiphany in downtown Tuscaloosa. I consider myself pretty "in the know" about things going on in Tuscaloosa, but somehow I totally missed that Epiphany has half price small plates Monday-Thursday 5-7pm. And, if you aren't familiar with this restaurant, the small plates aren't boring, bland appetizers. Their focus on bringing fresh, local, and upscale food to Tuscaloosa. With the words Farm to Table on the building, you know they desire to provide fresh, local, food. And that's what you find with items on the menu from places like Buhl and Coker.  And, the menu changes often. In fact, the night we went, the bartender mentioned the menu would be changing the next night. I think we have been hesitant to  go to Epiphany because of the price. But, it really wouldn't be that far off some of the other restaurants we go to more often.  And, for a nice night out, I certainly think this would be one of the best options in Tuscaloosa.

For the half price deal, you have to sit at the bar, out front, or at one of the high top bar tables. We don't mind doing that at all. In fact, on this visit, we asked our bartender, Anthony, lots of questions about different menu items and we really enjoyed talking with him. They serve a lot of local Alabama beer and Wes tried one from Huntsville. The have a nice wine list but a limited number of them are served by the glass. It seemed there was at least one of each type of grape, but often times, just that one. All of that is good with me, though.

We started with the bread service. This is a freshly made brown sugar bread served with a homemade pork butter. The slightly sweet bread paired wonderfully with the slightly salty butter.

Bread service with pork butter

We then shared four small plates. We probably could have even done just three, but that would have meant we didn't try one of these dishes, and I have no idea which one was my least favorite. We had shrimp cakes, roasted mushrooms, stuffed squash blossoms, and a polenta dish.

All four of our small plates

The shrimp cakes were similar to the more commonly seen crab cakes. They were topped with a radish salad which didn't have a ton of flavor but gave a nice crunch to the dish. The sauce, apricot and pickled peach purée, had a great flavor with the shrimp cakes. In all, this dish was fresh, not too heavy, and delicious.

shrimp cakes

The roasted wild mushroom dish was probably both Wes and my favorite. It was served with crispy pork, which tasted like yummy bacon in the dish. It also jalapenos that had me a little worried. I am not a fan of things that are too spicy. But, we didn't outright eat the peppers, so the spiciness was not too strong and the dish as a whole had the best flavor, texture, and was just delicious.

roasted wild mushrooms

One of the specials that night was the stuffed squash blossoms. The blossoms were filled with goat cheese and ricotta, lightly breaded and fried. They were served with fried crooked neck squash, mustard greens and topped with a green goddess dressing. YUM! It was all amazing. I love greens and Wes doesn't, so I probably lucked out and got every bite of those.

fried squash blossoms

And, finally, we had the polenta dish served with crispy chicken skin, soft cooked farm egg, cheddar, and wild mushrooms. What can go wrong when you throw some crispy chicken skin in a dish? With the egg, cheese, and polenta, this dish had the taste and feel of an almost breakfast or brunch item. It wasn't too rich but had tons of flavor in every bite.

polenta

As I said before, all the food we had this night was amazing. You certainly have a higher quality food and atmosphere at Epiphany than you would at other restaurants in Tuscaloosa. With the uniqueness of the dishes, I think this is more on par with what you would expect in a bigger city. And, in general, Tuscaloosa just doesn't have too much of that.  And, with the half price small plates during the week, we were able to spend a reasonable amount for a nicer night out and enjoy special food.

Pie Lab

Wes and I finally made it to Pie Lab back in December after talking about it for months. Pie Lab is a quick drive down 69 South to the quaint town of Greensboro. It has a really cool ambiance. With just one big open room, with exposed brick walls and tables and benches, the place feels like small town meets cool hip city place.
The concept of this pie shop is pretty cool. On Facebook, they say this:
PieLab is a pie shop meant to gather communities together. It’s founded on the idea that simple things, like delicious pie and good conversation, can bring us together and spread joy.Pie+Conversation = Ideas.Ideas+Design =Positive Change.

The menu is different everyday. They offer a couple of lunch options and several pie options. If you follow them on Facebook you can see the selection for the day. We went on a Saturday when there was a sandwich option and two quiche options and about 5 pies.

Wes went for the pimento cheese  BLT. How can you go wrong with a BLT that ads the yummy goodness of homemade pimento cheese. You can always tell homemade pimento cheese, it is nice and creamy and not thick like the store bought kind. You can see in the picture, it was so good we barely stopped to take a picture. As a side, he had pasta salad. It was really flavorful and fresh.

Pimento cheese BLT

I had one of the daily quiche special. It was a spinach, mushroom, and goat cheese quiche and it was delicious. Of course, they are great at pie crusts, so the crust of the quiche was perfect. I had the side salad instead of the pasta salad and it had homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing. And, in the picture below, you can see the drinks come in mason jars.

quiche and salad

But, of course, the main course isn't why I wanted to go to the Pie Lab. I wanted to try the pies!! We both got a piece of pie. Wes went with banana pudding pie and I had the honey pumpkin pie with whip cream. I watched as they made my whip cream fresh right then. And, it was the absolute perfect topping to the pie. In all honesty, it might have been my favorite part of the entire meal.

banana pudding pie & honey pumpkin pie with whip cream

The concept is great. The food is great. And, I can't wait to go back and try some more. It isn't a bad drive from Tuscaloosa and the place has such character, and cute shops nearby, that it is a must stop for Tuscaloosians.

Little Donkey

Ok, Little Donkey is such a fun name for a Mexican restaurant! It is so unique and stands out from your traditional Mexican names. Which is appropriate, because this isn't like your normal Mexican place.  Little Donkey is located in Birmingham, or Homewood more specifically. Now, I know this isn't in Tuscaloosa, but, Birmingham isn't that far away and we Tuscaloosians often find ourselves in Bham needing somewhere to eat.

Outside shot (I forgot to take a picture so I borrowed this one from my company) :)

I was in Birmingham for training this week and stayed over night.When planning dinner, I wanted to try somewhere I hadn't already been. I had heard that the food was extremely fresh, unique, and good at Little Donkey, so that was my pick. Wes joined me as well as a couple of our friends.

On their website, Little Donkey claims to be original Mexican food, inspired by Southern roots, with slow-cooked meats, and scratch made everything. You could tell that all of these things were happening on the menu. I have already said it was unique, or as they say, original. The variety of meat was really cool. They offered tacos with steak, chicken, fish, brisket, and pork all with different fresh ingredients. And, you could tell the tortillas weren't store bought.

We started with guacamole. This is one of Wes and my go to items at Mexican restaurants, especially those that seem to be using more fresh ingredients. My hope was that it would be made at the table. But, that didn't happen. It did end up being delicious guacamole. Topped with a little tomato and cheese, and the chunks of avocado brought extra flavor and freshness to it.

guacamole (half eaten)

I chose the enchiladas verdes. The fresh tortillas were filled with chicken and cheese and topped with the green salsa. I thought the cheese was a little thick and not as melted as I would have liked. I guess I was imaging the idea of traditional queso cheese in the enchillada, but this was more of a slice of cheese with the chicken. But, the flavor was great.

Enchiladas verde

This dish was served with two sides. The sides are unique too. You can choose from mexican rice, black beans, pinto beans, street style corn, fresh fruit, or la concoction. This last item was rice, with black beans, some sauce, and a poached egg on top. I tried the black beans and corn with mine. The corn had a seasoning on it that was really interesting. I am not sure what it was, but it wasn't spicy, it had a little kick of sweet to it, and the flavor of the corn, which was roasted on the cob, was yummy. The black beans seemed just normal to me; not bad, but nothing special either.

black beans and street corn

 

Wes got the tacos and tried a steak and a fish. His favorite of the two was the fish. I didn't try either of these but there wasn't a bite of either left! And, he had the la concoction as his side. It was really cool looking and definitely had neat flavor and texture. I did try this and it was tasty.

Fish and steak taco and la concoction

All in all, Little Donkey has a really cool atmosphere and vibe. The fresh ingredients and unique ideas make this a really awesome spot. I hear that we may be getting a Little Donkey in Tuscaloosa, which is really exciting. I think local places like this are exactly what we need in town.

Glory Bound Gyro Co

I was totally excited to hear about this new restaurant opening in Tuscaloosa. Glory Bound Gyro Co. is owned by the same people as Mugshots, a now very popular restaurant in downtown, so I had high hopes for the quality of food. And, they serve one of my favorite types of food, Greek. I like to give a new place a couple weeks to work out all their kinks. But, from what I hear, others have been having a great experience since it opened. Glory Bound is located on the corner of Greensboro and University in downtown T-town. This spot is one of the coolest in town, but, if you have been around for a while, you know that things have had a hard time making it here. After one meal, I certainly hope that this one is different. The feel is funky and casual.

Cool guitar art everywhere.

Anyone who knows me, know that I am a hummus freak! I seek it out, order it just about any time I see it on a menu, and always have some in the fridge at home. So, when I say to you that this was literally some of the absolute best hummus I have ever had, you should know it is a big deal.  They offer quite a variety of flavors and you can order them individually or as a trio. I went for the trio so I could taste a few. After the recommendations from the waitress, I decided on the original, roasted red pepper, and the garlic basil. All of them were phenomenal. The original was a little salty but that doesn't bother me. You could tell the roasted red pepper was made with fresh ingredients and just plain fresh. And, the garlic basil was my favorite. It will be hard for me to visit again and not get all the hummus I can eat!!
Oh, and everyone at the table agreed with me. Great hummus and the pita bread is just as great.

Hummus trio

I was almost stuffed after this, but of course I was trying one of the gyros. On Tuesday, they have a special where all the gyros are $5 and the steak and shrimp gyros are $6. What a deal!! They come with cottage fries, which are homeade potato wedges, and are amazing too. I went with the surf and turf gyro. This came with steak and shrimp with mushrooms, peppers, and onions and their come back sauce. This sauce is similar to the shrimp sauce at a Japanese restaurant. So, if that means anything to you it should mean deliciousness.  This was way too much food, but I couldn't stop eating. It was amazing!

Surf and Turf gyro

This was book club night, so I had 5 other girls with me eating. Glory Bound and its food was well received by all! I can't wait to go back and try some of the other meals. Apparently their signature sandwich is the Pepperjack which is a traditional gyro with pepperjack cheese, bacon, and come back sauce. What! I think I will need to split that one.

Birmingham food

Saturday Dinner

Ok, so for the final round of birthday fun, we spent Saturday night in Birmingham and did dinner Saturday night and brunch Sunday morning. Birmingham has really become somewhat of a food destination. I have been hearing all kinds of great things about lots of different restaurants downtown. We were excited to have a night out and then follow up with something yummy on Sunday too.

I had gotten a gift card to Ocean and we had saved it for out birthday celebration week! I had heard great things about their food and it was all true. Everything we had was fresh, unique, and delicious. Everyone gets bread with olive oil and a cucumber, tomato, red onion, feta, and olive oil salsa type spread. I must say the fresh tomato topper was one of the best parts of the meal. Even Wes, who isn't a big fan of anything like that, really enjoyed it. I tried to take a picture but I just couldn't capture the real essence and deliciousness with a picture.

Our first item ordered was the calamari appetizer. This is always one of Wes's favorite starters, so when I see it on the menu I usually want us to try it. This was perfectly breaded and tender! One of the worst things is getting really chewy calamari. Of course, this one was perfect. And the sauce!! It was described as a remoulade. You know I have a hard time waiting to eat until I have taken the picture. As you can see, this one was no different.

Calamari appetizer

I followed this up with the Ocean salad. This was the best part of my meal! Imagine a Greek Salad topped with fried feta cheese. Yes, fried feta cheese. In the picture below, the piece of cheese look like croutons, but no, it's cheese.

Ocean salad- with fried feta

For my entree, I ordered pan seared scallops. Not only do they offer several special meals, they also offer a list of meats cooked in a variety of ways (pan seared, greek, fried, etc). All of these came with sage mashed potatoes and root vegetables. I chose the scallops with mashed potatoes and vegetables instead of doing the special meal with risotto. I know I would have like the risotto better than the sides that I had with mine. But, the scallops were perfect.

scallops, mashed potatoes, and vegetables

Wes went with the grouper. His sides were white cheddar cheese grits and a crawfish cake. Everything on his plate was delicious. It all has lots of flavor and as I mentioned before, you could tell it was all fresh.

Grouper with cheese grits and crawfish cake

I find that no real dinner is complete without a dessert. And I especially feel this way at restaurants like this with specialty desserts that I can't find just anywhere. So, I politely asked the waitress to hold off on bringing us the dessert menu until I was a little less about to pop. And, we were so glad that we did. The strawberry shortcake was spectacular, mainly because of the tempura battered pound cake. Neither of us were sure about the basil whip cream. It was wonderful consistency, but the flavor just wasn't my favorite. It also came with white balsamic sorbet. I thought the tangy, crisp, and fresh flavor was really interesting. Wes did not.

strawberry shortcake

All in all, this was a great night out at a really delightful restaurant. I told Wes I would give it 4 out of 5 stars. I think a big reason for this is the fact that I didn't order the risotto. Risotto is always my favorite. When I didn't really like the sage in the potatoes, I knew that the risotto would have made all the difference.But what we had still made for a wonderful night out on the town.

Sunday Brunch

Sunday morning, we got up and headed over the mountain to Chez Lulu. Even though we had asked a few people their suggestions for brunch, we just used the handy iphone and asked yelp for some brunch ideas. We narrowed it down to 3 and honestly, I probably picked this one because it seems French-ish. I am currently all about anything French in preparation for our big trip. This quaint restaurant is in Mountain Brook. With cute little tables outside and Christmas lights up inside, it was an adorable spot for brunch.

The bakery next door is also a spot where you can pick up items like croissants, muffins, and pastries and I am sure that all their offerings would be as tasty as the things we had at the restaurant. They start you with a very European breakfast option, bread and olive oil. There was a variety of bread, of course we tried them all, and were quite pleased with this start to our meal.

Bread at breakfast!

For my meal, I decided to go with a crepe. It was a French inspired place, right? With a wide variety to choose from, I decided to go local and chose the Chilton county peach crepe. Light, flavorful, and yummy whip cream on top, made this a great selection.

peach crepe

I also ordered the white cheddar biscuits. This was to share with Wes, but, who can resist trying some cheddar biscuits.  My comparison here would be the asiago cheese bagel at Panera. I love the way the cheese is delicate in the bread and not overpowering. But, you still get such a strong flavor. They also served these with fresh jam which made these biscuits Amazing!!

white cheddar biscuits

Wes has the daily frittata special. I now can't remember what was in it, but the bite I had was delightful. And, I didn't take a picture of his either. Oops.

This is a really cute place for brunch and I can imagine their lunches are just as great. I wish I had stopped in the bakery and picked up a couple of things to go. But, the weekend of food had to stop somewhere.

Depalmas

Since my days as a college student, Depalmas has been one of my favorite spots to eat. So, it just makes sense, that when celebrating a milestone birthday, this would be my dinner choice. And, as always, it didn't disappoint. Here are a few of the things we had this evening, but honestly, I like almost everything on the menu that I have tried, and that is quite a bit!

The atmosphere is really cool. You are surrounded by wine bottles from special occasions with names and dates written on them. Posters, pictures, and art decorate the wall. And, you can see the hustle of the kitchen preparing all the freshly made meals.

To start, we ordered our two favorite appetizers, stuffed mushrooms and the antipasta platter. Half of the mushrooms are stuffed with pesto and half with sausage and cheese. For a few years, we ordered double sausage stuffed mushrooms, but I am glad we added the pesto ones too. Both of these are yummy!! Sometimes I forget to take the picture before we start to eat. Oops!

Stuffed Mushrooms (or half of them)

The antipasta platter is similar to any you will find. It has salami, prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, Parmesan, and maybe asiago cheeses, artichoke hearts, olives, grilled zucchini, onions, and the best balsamic vinaigrette dressing in town. I love to mix and match the flavors on this plate!

Antipasta platter

Now, when it come to the main meal, you can't go wrong with any pizza or calzone. Of course there is the option to get a combination they have on the menu or make your own. But, I am a pasta fan. So, when at Depalmas, pasta is my usual main course. The pasta depalma is one of my favorites, and has been for years. It is a baked pasta with a light cream sauce. It has so much flavor and is very unique. I also really enjoy the Mediterranean pasta that is lighter and has feta, banana peppers, tomatoes, and I add chicken, all tossed with tri colored pasta and olive oil. I also have loved most of the specials I have tried like the chicken florentine lasagna, the lobster ravioli, and the gorgonzola filet. This is actually one of the best steaks I have had before. So, again, it is hard to go wrong!

This night, Wes and I both ordered the radiatore with pesto sauce. If you like pesto, this dish is for you! We add the chicken and sun dried tomatoes which really makes a difference.

radiatore with pesto (half of it)

radiatore with pesto and chicken and sun dried tomatoes

Happy Birthday week was a great success. We both enjoyed celebrating with friends at all of our favorite spots in Tuscaloosa.

Nick's in the Sticks

In celebration of both Wes and my birthdays, we have a had a week and a half (still more to come) of birthday fun. We started with two of our favorites here in town, FIVE and Innisfree which can be seen in previous posts. But, Saturday night, we went to one of the most hole-in-the-wall restaurants I have ever seen, and certainly one of the best.

Nick's in the Sticks is literally in the sticks. You go through West End and keep going until there is nothing else around. The building, which holds about 30 people, is a plain brick building with one room for dining, a bar, and paying your ticket. It is certainly not glamorous but it is delicious, a great value, and one of the most popular places in Tuscaloosa.  As I mentioned, it is a small space, so it isn't uncommon to have a decent wait especially on the weekends. It is totally worth the wait!

Ok, so you are waiting, why don't you have a drink. Their famous Nickodemus, is a fruit punch looking drink that isn't quite as sweet as it looks. I can't come up with anyone who really knows what is in this drink, but I know that for years, it is one of the most talked about drinks in Tuscaloosa.

Once you are seated, you will have pretty quick service. The menu is short and I can tell you that every time I have been I have ordered the small fillet with baked potato for a whopping $9.99. What a deal right! It is one of the best steaks I have had anywhere. And for the price, you really can't beat it! It also comes with a salad. One of my favorite things at Nick's is the salad dressing. They have a ranch blue cheese mix that is unbelievable. We always ask for some extra to keep for the steak. Oh, and Wes would want me to share that they have some of the best Chicken gizzards, or as far as I know, the only ones. This weekend, both Wes and John were excited to order this appetizer. And, proudly, Amy and I did at least try them. I have nothing to compare them to, but again, Wes says they are some of the best.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures. This is truly one of the most beloved locations in Tuscaloosa. Part of the charm is that you have to know about it to find it. While the other is great quality at a great price and a unique experience.

YP(t)

If you are out of college and under 40 in Tuscaloosa, you should be a part of the YP(t), or the Young Professionals of Tuscaloosa. This is a group formed as a part of the Chamber of Commerce designed to give "young professionals" a way to get involved in town and get to know each other. Tonight, this post is about a couple of events that the ypt group has either hosted or participated in over the past few months. In the past, we have had parties, networking events, and special interest events.You can find them on facebook, but the website is under construction.

Tonight was the Sushi Making Event at Chuck's Fish and what a great time we had. This event was in their private room upstairs. If you haven't been to Chuck's for sushi then you are missing out on some of the best sushi in town. But, tonight, we were not just eating the sushi, we were learning how to roll our own sushi. We had the option to make several of the most popular rolls and everything I had was delicious. Here is a shot of us making the spicy tuna roll.

Learning how to make the sushi

We each got to make two rolls. Amy and I shared our rolls so that we could try a few. Here is our first go of it with Spicy Tuna and Crunchy Shrimp.

Amy and me with my finished product.

We also got to try the uptown shrimp. I haven't tried it before, but it was just like the Bang Bang Shrimp at Bonefish. It was delicious!! And, they have a special on Wednesday night with Uptown Shrimp specials.

This was a great night with some familiar YP(t) friends and a chance to meet some new ones. I don't know how easy it is to set up a sushi making event with Chuck's, but it was a lot of fun. I know that I always have a good time with the young professionals group and tonight was no different. So, this post is to share that Chuck's has great sushi and to tell you to come to a YP(t) event if you are in T-town and in the age range.




I do think I learned that sushi is a food that I will continue to go out and order and not something I will make at home. Sure, the roll was good, but it takes a bit of prep and I definitely don't have the ingredients at home.

The other event that I participated in recently for YP(t) was the JLT Dragon Boat race. This event was at the end of April and it required 20 paddlers. Yes, paddlers. We paddled a boat down the Black Warrior River and had a blast!

YP(t) Team

Our team came in 10th out of 26 teams. And, I think everyone on the team had a really great time. I know I made a few new friends and can't wait to do this again next year. I think the event was really well received by the rest of town too. There were lots of business and other social groups who had teams. And, I heard great things from lots of the groups about how much fun everyone had.

YP(t) practicing before the race.

 This year the event was on the river behind Cypress Inn. They had food and drink for the spectators and the participants and most of the teams had set up tents with a tailgate like atmosphere. We were out there for a few hours and it was a great way to meet people and have fun outside in Tuscaloosa.

Nashville

Ok, so I said in the beginning that I wanted the focus of this blog to be about Tuscaloosa and the things I do here. But, I went to Nashville for a conference this past weekend and I just wanted to talk a little bit about this fabulous city that happens to be an easy drive from T-town.

The conference was for AAF District 7. AAF is the American Advertising Federation, and district 7 encompasses Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee clubs. The conference changes every time to a different location and this time we were in Nashville.

Thursday night we hopped around on Broadway and 2nd Ave. checking out some live music and the night scene. One of my favorite stops was at Whiskey Bent. They had a great band playing. This is one of the best things about Nashville, the live music. It isn't hard to find someone who can sing and play in this town. After all, isn't that why everyone is there, trying to make it big?? We stopped by a few other spots but we landed at The Big Bang Bar last and stayed there the longest. This is a dueling piano bar. If you haven't been to one before, it is a lot of fun. The guys take requests for songs, the more money you tip, the more likely it is to get played. They play everything from Elton John, Billy Joel, Michael Jackson, and my favorite, Def Leopard's Pour Some Sugar on Me. We used to have one of these places in Tuscaloosa and unfortunately it didn't make it. The Big Bang was so much fun, we went back the next night.

Like I said, we had so much fun at Big Bang we went back Friday night after our Denim and Diamonds party. We also stopped by Tootsies, a classic stop on Broadway. And, we went to Paradise Park, which was really cool. Again, live music is everywhere and it is all good! You shouldn't miss these bars either.

Saturday we took a special tour of the Ryman Auditorium. I grew up only a little over an hour away from Nashville and had been tons of times before to the city. But, this was my first time in the Ryman. It was absolutely beautiful.

The stage at the Ryman

They have the original pews that were in the building around the turn of the 20th century. Those are some old pews!

Original Pews in the Ryman

The stained glass windows were gorgeous. They call this the mother church of country music. And, it actually was built as a church to have revivals but that turned out to not be all that profitable and so they started books acts to perform.

Stained glass windows in the Ryman Auditorium

They have exhibits that come and go and some pieces of the Ryman history on display all the time. There was a Johnny and June display currently with some really Johnny Cash boots and I can't believe I didn't get a picture. But, this picture shows Minnie Pearl's dress which I thought was really cool.

This is a great venue to check out if you visit Nashville. Of course, we didn't get to see a live performance, but I hear that the sound and acoustics are great.  This visit to Nashville has me wanting more live music! I might just have to check out their calendar of events.

The gala Saturday night was at the top of the Pinnacle building in downtown Nashville. It was just an open space and they brought tables in for the event so it had a really cool vibe to it. But, the best part was the view. I love a view!! I would live at the top of the Empire State building or the top of the Sears Tower if I could. It is even better when the sun goes down and the night lights up the sky. I have always loved city lights. So, you can imagine the view from this party was right up my alley.

This group likes to have fun. So, after the presentation of Clubs of the Year, the new Governor of the District, and some lovely speeches, we had a great band that played for us. Justin Nault and his band played great cover songs that had a big group of us dancing. They were tons of fun and even took a bunch of requests we threw out at them. It just so happens, that Justin is also a piano player at The Big Bang Bar and we had seen him play there too. What a small town Nashville ended up being. This isn't the best picture of the band, but you can also see the set up of the room.

My friend, and fellow AAF Tuscaloosa member, Laura went to the conference too.  We had a great time, heard great music, danced, learned some new things about advertising, and all in all had a great Nashville experience. It wasn't my first, and it won't be my last visit to The Music City.